Presentation Transcript

1. Sociology and The Law

2. What is Law? A system of rules and guidelines created and enforced by a common authoritative power. Laws are meant to control or change behavior. Laws are meant to improve the overall welfare of the general population, while also sustaining the society which created them. Common laws help to settle disputes, ensure safety, and provide an overall structure to the society that creates them.
3. Functionalist Functionalists mainly study how crime relates to law, and believe that it is a necessary part of a society. Crime provides career opportunities for many people (ex: Police, Lawyers, Jail Wardens, Court Workers) Crime can drive social change, such as in the case of a rising number of juvenile violence cases, possibly providing the creation of new programs to put emphasis on parenting skills, school security, or systematic counselor visits. If there is too much crime, society is not in a state of well-being, possibly prompting a revolution. After there is new power, new laws would be put in place that society can agree with.
4. Conflict Conflict theorists believe that crime is the act of social and economic forces working with each other. The criminal justice system is run for profit by the rich and elite, creating laws that benefit the upper class. (ex: Petty crimes sentenced severely, whereas large scale financial and organizational crimes are treated more leniently.) Middle class citizens tend to side with these changes subconsciously hoping that one day they will reap these benefits. The victims of the criminal justice system are the lower class, having legal rights diminished or ignored.
5. International There are certain commonly held beliefs on human rights, dictated by the United Nations. (ex: Genocide, Privacy, Disability, Youth Violence) World powers come together to discuss the carrying out of international law, usually leading to conflicting opinions. Should we be the World Police? Should we dictate what is moral without respect to custom and tradition? Should we focus solely on our nation? Should we solve our internal issues before pursuing the welfare of other countries?
6. Bibliography http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/just/02.html http://criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/week7.htm http://criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/conflict.htm http://www.un.org/en/rights/ http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1823702 http://www.sociology.org.uk/devtint1.htm http://criminologycareers.about.com/od/Criminology_Basics/a/What-is-criminal-justice.htm http://sociology.about.com/od/O_Index/g/Organized-Crime.htm